Mental Health Research

By Frederick Rivara, MD, MPH. Rivara is President of Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR). Dr. Rivara holds the Children’s Guild Association Endowed Chair in Pediatrics, and is a University of Washington professor of pediatrics and an adjunct professor of epidemiology. He is also Editor of JAMA Pediatrics.

Dear Research Advocate:

On Wednesday, the House Appropriations agriculture subcommittee approved the funding bill that includes the Food and Drug Administration. The bill allocates nearly $100 million above the post-sequester levels. Unfortunately, the baseline budgets in the House are so low that this increase is still lower than FY12 FDA funding. We must not fall into the trap of lowering our expectations and applauding an artificial victory. The true mark of success is funding that keeps up with need. We must keep working.

A new report from the Alzheimer’s Association reveals that one in three seniors suffer from some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s by their death. Deaths attributed to Alzheimer’s and dementia have increased 68% from 2000 to 2010.